Phú Quốc tackles challenges to boost tourism

Phú Quốc has wonderful beaches that can be compared to the most beautiful beaches in the world. VNS Photo Văn Châu

Phú Quốc Island in Kiên Giang Province was continuously on the list of the most favourite destinations in the country for tourists for many years before 2023 but has recently become less attractive to both domestic and foreign tourists due to a number of problems.

Although there were times when Phú Quốc tours were more expensive than international tours to neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Laos or Cambodia, the pearl island still attracted 5.1 million visitors in 2022, equivalent to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Phú Quốc, considered as the Maldives of Việt Nam, lost its top position as the number of visitors decreased sharply last year.

Phú Quốc tourism still faced a gloomy situation, even during major national holidays.

During Reunification Day on April 30 and May Day on May 1, the number of international visitors to Phú Quốc increased by 9 per cent, but domestic visitors decreased by 9.4 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier.

It was even worse during the National Day (September 2) holidays, as the number of domestic visitors declined by 32.9 per cent compared to the same period a year ago, and foreign visitors also decreased, with room occupancy only about 30 per cent.

Trần Đình Thiên, PhD, former director of the Việt Nam Institute of Economics, said that this was a serious problem for Phú Quốc tourism as well as some major tourist destinations in Việt Nam.

He said that the problem of tourist destinations that attract tourists for a while and then decline sharply like Phú Quốc was because the local government did not have sustainable tourism development policies.

"We have to review why tourism has boomed, at times very well, and then declined like that. It is this decline that makes consumers turn towards foreign tourism rather than domestic," he said.

Kiss Bridge - the newest and best place to watch sunrise and sunset in Phú Quốc. VNS Photo Văn Châu

Regarding tourism stimulus policies, Thiên said that these policies were only short-term strategies. The central government and local authorities did not have long-term policies specifically for Phú Quốc.

"Tourism promotion is very important," he said. "If local initiatives are not promoted and new incentives for businesses are not created, opportunities will be lost."

In fact, the potential and development opportunities of Phú Quốc are quite clear, according to Thiên. As long as the local government has long-term, sustainable and environmentally friendly development policies, Phú Quốc will once again become a leading tourist magnet in the region and the world.

From the perspective of many domestic and international tourists, Phú Quốc is an island that is so attractive in terms of both nature, experiences and activities, it is strong enough to compete with famous tourist destinations in the region and the world.

Phú Quốc is also an island of surprises, as they experience unique things that are rarely found anywhere else in the world.

“I was really overwhelmed when I came to Phú Quốc,” said Lee Seo-yeon, 26, from South Korea. Not only was she stunned by the beaches in Phú Quốc, she was also fascinated by the many experiences that can only be found here.

It is the breathtaking sea view above from the Hòn Thơm Cable Car or the feeling when watching magical sunsets at the beaches.

“I will never forget the feeling when I accidentally saw a meteor while looking at the night sky in Phú Quốc,” Lee said.

Phú Quốc, a pristine island without light pollution, helped many tourists fully watch the Geminids meteor shower in December last year.

Nguyễn Quốc Kỳ, deputy director of the HCM City Union of Business Association (HUBA), assessed that the island has the potential to expand its market to the region, attract various types of tourists and has the ability to bring Việt Nam's position even higher on the global tourism map.

Kỳ believes that Phú Quốc’s strong investment in infrastructure and services is a decisive factor. For tourists looking for a high-end resort experience, Phú Quốc can satisfy the most demanding, with a full range of services, from special cuisine to water sports activities or relaxation at top-notch spas.

Phú Quốc has wonderful beaches that can be compared to the most beautiful beaches in the world. VNS Photo Văn Châu

Bringing Phú Quốc back on top

Kỳ also believes that in order to turn it into real advantages, the island government needs to take stronger measures to ensure sustainable and positive tourism development.

“Phú Quốc needs to take stronger measures to stabilise prices at accommodation facilities and dining venues in the area, and protect the natural environment. Investment in infrastructure, human resource training, and smart tourism promotion are also indispensable factors to keep the destination attractive and maintain its luxury level,” Kỳ said.

Visitors can enjoy panoramic views of Phú Quốc on the Hòn Thơm Cable Car. VNS Photo Văn Châu

Lâm Minh Thành, chairman of the People's Committee [administration] of Kiên Giang Province, said that the high price of airfares was also a factor affecting tourists' decision to choose a destination. During holidays, the price of round-trip airfares from HCM City to Phú Quốc or Hà Nội to Phú Quốc was even higher than the price of a package tour from HCM City to Thailand.

“Airfares from major tourist markets such as Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng City, Cần Thơ City and international flights to Phú Quốc are always higher than other localities, even on weekdays, not just during holidays and Tết (Lunar New Year)," Thành said.

"There are times when a round-trip ticket from Hà Nội to Phú Quốc costs over VNĐ10 million (US$400). Meanwhile, the price of a package tour to Thailand is only over VNĐ9 million (US$360).”

However, many experts said that high airfares are only part of the problem, because recently, Phú Quốc tourism has also received complaints related to natural landscapes, the environment and tourist scams.

Kỳ noted that the management of tourist attractions in Phú Quốc by local authorities was currently quite poor.

Phú Quốc authorities need to have long-term tourism attraction policies so that the island can develop sustainably, according to Nguyễn Quốc Kỳ, deputy director of the HCM City Union of Business Association. VNS Photo Văn Châu

Chairman of the Việt Nam Tourism Association Vũ Thế Bình said that one of the main reasons why Phú Quốc and Việt Nam in general could not attract many international tourists was tourism promotion activities were slow and ineffective.

Promotion activities abroad to attract international visitors to Việt Nam were too few, with many important international fairs in the world such as WTM London and JATA Tokyo Japan ignored or only participated by localities themselves, making the image of Việt Nam tourism faded at the international level.

“We need to restructure the international market and promote tourism. I propose to reform the activities of the Tourism Development Support Fund to promote the activities I have proposed,” Bình said.

To make Phú Quốc a world-class tourism centre, Kiên Giang plans to welcome more than 10.7 million visitors by 2025, including more than 900,000 foreign tourists, train 36,800 tourism workers and generate revenue of VNĐ38 trillion.

The island is expected to welcome more than 23 million visitors including more than 1.6 million from abroad, and generate a total revenue of VNĐ105 trillion by 2030.

Kiên Giang will restructure the international visitor market and identify Southeast Asian visitors as a key market, while also servicing the markets of China, South Korea, India and the Middle East.

Domestic tour operators will strengthen market connections in HCM City, Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng, and Nha Trang, and expand the Central Highlands market.

Deputy Director of Kiên Giang Department of Tourism Nguyễn Chí Thanh said that the province would train more human resources for tourism, especially rural tourism human resources in Phú Quốc, exploit more community tourism products, such as fruit gardens, to serve domestic and foreign tourists.

In addition, Kiên Giang authorities have also worked with airlines, accommodation and travel businesses in Phú Quốc to develop affordable night flight packages, contributing to bringing tourists to Phú Quốc.

The provincial tourism and transport authorities are planning to increase more high-speed boat and ferry services to the island to facilitate tourists.